It was unplanned however, very pleasant getaway for us (my wife and me). This time we decided to visit Naina Devi, the temple and the town have the similar names.
The temple of Shri Naina Devi ji is situated on the hilltop, in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. This is the place where "naina"(eyes) of Mata Sati fell down when her body was cut into pieces by Sudarshan Chakra of Vishnu ji.
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Also according to legends, the Goddess defeated Mahishasur and took out both of his eyes, that's why it is also called 'Mahishapeeth'.
This place is 106 km away from Chandigarh. We started our journey early morning at 5:00 and easily reached the temple around 7:00 AM(best time to travel if you want to return in the evening).
Though the temple comes under Bilaspur district, one can easily reach there via Anandpur Sahib when travelling from Chandigarh, Mohali and Ropar.
Just close to Anandpur bus stand, take right turn to start journey to the hills top. From there, the temple is approx. 22 km which includes 8 km hilly roads where you should travel consciously and it is advised to slow down your vehicle speed even though the road is wide enough.
90℅ of the road was good and well maintained during summer, however the situation can be totally different during monsoon. There is enough parking space on the hilltop so don't worry about parking. Of course the parking is paid for both 2-wheelers and 4-wheelers.
If you're travelling during Navratras then definitely you would encounter high rush, otherwise during normal days it's a very peaceful experience to have mata's blessings.
Jai Maa Naina Devi ji! 🙏